Grover I
Grover I was the first Emperor of the Griffonian Empire, and the founder of the greatest Empire that had ever appeared on the Griffonian continent. With the power of the Idol of Boreas, an ancient Griffonstone artifact, he subjugated Aquileia, Wingbardy, and the feuding nations of the Heartlands, crowning himself Kaiser of Griffonia and King of the Heartlands. Grover I, originally King of Griffonstone, was considered to be blessed by the gods themselves, who many believe gave him the Idol of Boreas to smite the nations of Griffonia and unite their decrepit kingdoms under one godly government. Using Arantigan military tactics, magical power, and a massive Griffonstone army, Grover I was hailed as one of the greatest conquerers in Griffonian history. His two sons, Grover II and Guto I, split the domains of Grover's new Empire. Guto I became King of Griffonstone and Holder of the Idol of Boreas, while Grover II became King of the Heartlands and Kaiser of all Griffons. Reign King of Griffonstone Grover I was a "one-in-a-million" griffon, as famed Saddle Arabian historian Imam Cyrus Al-Jafari wrote in one of his numerous lore texts. Griffonstone had been an independent kingdom for hundreds of years, but only under Grover I did it truly find its place in the world - and become the centerpiece of one of the greatest empires in world history. Grover I had an infatuation with the Arantigan tactics that the great conquerer Arantigos the Great had used over a thousand years ago to make his great conquests, and soon, Grover I began to take more and more ideas and talent from the small state Griffonstone had recently expanded into. Arantigan military commanders, Arantigan tactics, and Arantigan trainers became the center of Grover's massively expanded Griffonstone army. Even ritualistic duels and battle scars, an ancient Arantigan tradition, became a custom in Grover's own army. Grover then decided his path - with the idol of Boreas, Grover's new standing army would crush the feudal armies of the weak Herzlander states - the peasants of Greifenmarschen, the failing and weak Katernii Kingdom, and the Senate of Romau were ripe targets for Grover's grand conquest. Previously, Grover I had already taken Arantiga and Angriver - they were excellent stepping stones for the conquests to come. Conquests and Imperial Reign Grover I swept through the Heartlands with his grand army - none could stand in his way. The Katernii Kingdom was crushed beneath his swords, along with Yale, Greifenmarschen, and Bronzehill. Romau, the ancient stronghold of Arantigos, was the only major resistance Grover I would find, and even then, their leader, Vibius Salvetor, surrendered peacefully and allowed Grover I to execute him. Grover took control over the Romauan legions and the grand fortress city - but did not use it as his new capital. Instead, he took the failing towns of Griffenheim and built a true Imperial City on the meeting of three great rivers. Soon, most Griffonstone offiicals migrated to the new Imperial City in Griffenheim, such as the Archonate of Boreas and most of the bankers who had served the Custodians of Griffonstone (who were also, in fact, the Grover Dynasty). After crowning himself Kaiser of all Griffons with the assistance of the Archonate of Boreas and the Idol of Boreas, Grover marched toward Aquileia. According to Al-Jafari, the Discrets were a failing dynasty - and had the Grovers not subjugated them, they would have problably been lost to history as another Aquileian noble family took over. Next was Wingbardy, which fell easily enough and swore fealty to the new Griffonian Emperor. A new, glorious reign was about to begin. Consolidation of Power In general, Grover I consolidated his power over the Kingdoms he did own for the next 40 years, forming the basis for the administrative and legal divisions of the Griffonian Empire. He based his new Kaiserreich mostly on the systems of Aquileia and Wingbardy, like his military was based on Arantiga. Most nobles were allowed to keep their titles, such as the Discrets of Aquileia and Talonuels of Wingbardy, to promote a seamless hierarchy that would not encourage national revolts. However, it can be said that the Empire was not truly unified into a singular state until the days of Grover III - this is a viewpoint held by many historians, who attest that his administrative reforms truly paved the way for a united Griffonia. In 713 ALB, Grover I was greeted with an offer from Albert I of House Plumenjar, Duke of Cloudbury, Count of Winghagen, and leader of a large-scale Northern Duchy that had recently been unified. Albert would bend the knee peacefully if it meant no conquests of his lands or Feathisian or Herzlander culture being forced into his nation. Grover obliged, and Albert joined the empire as a willing vassal to Grover. To this day, Herzlander culture remains a vast minority in Cloudbury. Arantigos the Great founded the city of Romau as a great fortress, but it was Grover I who transformed it into its current state. While Grover I nominally ruled as Senator-President of Romau, the administration was handled by Succius Pola, the disgraced descendant of a famous Romauan general. Succius, charismatic but utterly incapable, was the perfect puppet for the Senate and Grover I, and about a decade after arriving in Romau, Grover I fully handed the mantle of Senator-President to Pola. Under Pola's reign, trade was encouraged with the rest of the new Empire, and the University of Romau was constructed in 728. The Eastern Campaigns In 747 ALB, 42 years after his conquest of the Heartlands, Grover and his even more modernized army crossed the Creeper Mountains that separated the Kingdom of Griffonstone from the savage Minotaurs of the south and the feudal states of the East. He first moved into the Principality of Lushi and the fractured principalities of Brodfeld, who quickly bent the knee to his new Empire. The Minotaurs, however, were much more of a problem. They amassed a large army at the Creeper Mountains, and demanded the Emperor to step no further into the territory of Asterion. Grover refused, and war begun. Grover viciously destroyed their mainland army, and Imperial forces occupied the mainland states of Asterion in what is now Cyanolisia. Grover, however, lacked a true imperial fleet to challenge the Minotaurs, and so Asterion was preserved on their island home. The next target were the cossacks of Gryphus, who were a constant threat to the garrisons in Prywhen and Lushi with their harassing raids. Grover I, rather than unleashing his army upon the East once more and risking instability in Prywhen and Lushi, offered the cossacks a deal. Viewing the Eastern ponies as the greatest external threat to his Empire, Grover demanded they join him as a march and continue their raids, except solely towards the ponies. The Sicamonese War In 773 ALB, Grover sent a small invading force into the parishes of Sicameon, an assortment of decentralized and democratic republics. The Sicameonese had so far resisted any attempt from Griffonstone or Wingbardy to push in their territory, and suprisingly enough, they were able to repel Grover's invasion force. The parishes united during the war, forming the Federated Parishes of Sicameon, a republic which was formalized in 775 to better face threats from the Griffonian Empire. It is unknown why Grover did not attack them with a greater force - perhaps he was weary of possible guerilla warfare and harsh terrain, or simply did not want to shed more blood in his Griffonian conquests. Final Days In 783, Grover I achieved what many at the time believed to be the finest achievement of the Empire. Hundreds, if not thousands of ships bearing prisoners, pioneers, and political dissidents arrived in Penguin controlled lands in Equus, to truly make a mark on the Western continent and cement Imperial glory. The tribal Penguin societies were quickly beaten, and from their coastlines formed Nova Griffonia and its capital, Weter. 2 years afterward, Grover I died, and with him, the hopes of an Empire. His militaristic son, Grover II, who had been used as a tool of his father in many of his conquests, would succeed him. Many would doubt that a battle-hardened general could accomplish the administrative tasks of his father, however, and the Empire fell into deep instability...